Metro News & Reviews

Metro to hold meetings for South Bay Green Line extension project

Work continues on the draft environmental study of extending the Green Line from Redondo Beach to a new transit center in Torrance, as well as other possible options for improving transportation in the South Bay area.

Here’s the news release on the next round of community meetings, which begin April 6:

Metro will hold three community meetings beginning Wednesday, April 6, to update the public on the South Bay Metro Green Line Extension project. The purpose of these meetings is to seek public comments and input as the environmental process continues for extending transit service farther into the South Bay to improve mobility in southwest Los Angeles County.

Metro is currently preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/DEIR) to identify transit improvements that would provide an alternative to the I-405 corridor by accessing the regional transit network through connections to the proposed Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor, currently under environmental review.

As part of the Draft EIS/EIR, Metro will assess existing conditions in the study area, further refine the project alternatives, assess their potential impacts and identify possible and reasonable mitigation measures as necessary.

The Light Rail ‘Build’ Alterative being considered in the Draft EIS/EIR evaluates extending the Metro Green Line from its current terminus at the Redondo Beach Station to the proposed Torrance Regional Transit Center (RTC). In addition, the Draft EIS/EIR will evaluate the No Build and Transportation Systems Management alternatives.

The public is encouraged to attend the community meetings and provide their input. The meetings will provide a project overview and update on the draft environmental process.

The study area encompasses approximately 30 square miles and includes the cities of El Segundo, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Torrance as well as the Del Aire and Lennox areas of unincorporated LA County.

The project is partially funded under Measure R, the half-cent sales tax approved by the voters in November 2008. Under Measure R, the project is provided $272 million in funding for the Metro Green Line Extension to the South Bay Corridor. This project is contained in the constrained element of the 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).

For information on the project and the Draft EIS/EIR process the public can call

As far as I can tell, I think this is a huge waste of resources. The Green line, as proposed, would meander like a snake. For trips to/from Redondo Beach & Torrance, existing bus lines would be faster taking the Green line for most feasible trips.

I’m in favor of rail lines that would save time and resources over existing bus lines. This is not one of them.

Metro, you should grade separate this extension. The entire existing Green Line is grade separated. Why break with the pattern now? The Green Line has a much better safety record than the Blue Line and a faster travel speed (granted this has a bit to do with the station spacing). Spend the money to build a quality line.

The line needs more transit oriented development to boost ridership, especially on the western end where it’s a massive landscape of wasteful parking lots and office buildings. Hopefully you can work with the cities to make something happen over there.

Also, I know there’s no money for it now, but it would be awesome if this eventually got to San Pedro. That seems like an area with some good transit potential, and it’s kind of pointing that way.

I don’t understand why the green line is the only fully grade separated LRT line to be built. After the freeway, its on an EL structure for the rest of its route and that’s not even a dense area, yet we have at-grade street running with no signal preemption in some of the densest parts of LA. It simply does not make sense. Anyway, this line should be built out to San Pedro. Have it connect to the blue line in long beach, then you start to resemble a transit web they way our freeways web their way all across LA county. Same for West LA regarding the expo line connecting to the sepulveda corridor/ valley line.

What can also be done is extend or build a branch for the green or crenshaw line over the ex atsf redondo branch which is now the harbor green belt to Manhattan beach thus entering a more densely populated area. Building to the proposed terminal in torrance is not bad remember the more the better the purpose is to provide and alternative than just driving in your car. Building the branch on the green belt would provide south bay better access to the West and East sides and LAX.